Method of making shoes and innersole therefor



Aug. 16,1927.

F. L. MACKENZIE METHOD OF MAKING SHOES AND INNERSOLE. THEREFOR Fi1e d Sept. 9, 1921 and fastened in the angle.

tain respects.

the cork filling of a welt shoe, to

Patented Aug. 16, 1927; i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRED MACKENZIE, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE IA- cnnmmr CORPORATION, 01 PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION O! m YORK.

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES AND INNERSOLE THEREFOR.

Appltcatlon fled September 5 upper is turned outwardly and secured to the margin of the sole. p

In a usual method of making st1tchdown shoes a flat sole or innersole is attached to a last, the margin of the sole projecting be- 10 yond the edge of the last a suitable distance.

An upper is placed over the last and properly located thereon. The upper 1s then lasted into the angle between the side of the last and the projecting margin of the sole plied to the last is an innersole, an outersole is next applied to the attached innersole and a welt stri to the face of the outturned margin of t e upper, and the welt, upper, innersole and outersole are sewed together. This .method, while extensively used and well adapted for the manufacture of certain grades of shoes, produces a shoe which, for some uses, is objectionable in cer- For example, the welt, since it is above the plane of the inner face of the innersole, reduces the apparent height of the toe and produces an obstruction to outward bending of the upper near the sole which 30 may cause discomfort to the wearer. Furthermore, shoes made by the prior method above described are cold for winter wear since there is no layer of insulating material between the soles, such as is afforded by protect the foot from the cold ground. In view of these considerations, objects of the present inventionare to provide a meth 0d of making stitchdown shoes by the praco tice of which a shoe will be produced in which the top face of the welt is substantially in the plane of the inner face of the portion of the innersole inside the shoe and in which a filling will be provided between the inner and outer soles which will not add to the thickness of the shoe edge.

In carrying out the novel method of the present invention, as herein illustratively exemplified, an innersole of substantially uniform thickness is first formed or molded with the marginal portion offset from the body portion which engages the bottom of the last in such manner that the marginal If the sole ap.

a, 1921. Serial maaam.

portion, while still in a plane parallel to the bottom of the innersole or last, is displaced, in a direction perpendicular to the last bottom, a distance substantially equal, for example, to the thickness of the inner sole or at least a distance equal to the thlckness of the welt and u per, so that the upper. or inner face 0 of the innersole is substantiall in the plane of the outer face of the body 0 the innersole,

the result being that, in the completed shoe, the exposed face of the welt strip is substantially in the plane of the inner face of the body of the innersole. This offsetting of the margln of the innersole has thefurther advantage that it forms on the bottom of the nnersole a recess inside the margin of the innersole in' which a filler may be inserted to afford between the inner and outer soles beneath the foot additional insulation and additional thickness of the sole material between the foot and the ground. The innersole thus formed is attached to the bottom of a last and an upper, the end portions of which have preferably been molded substantially to the shape which they are to assume in the finished shoe, assembled thereon. The upper is then lasted against the ofl'set portion of the innersole and secured thereto. The filling of the innersole, the laying of the outsole, the application of a welt to the flange of the upper and the attachment of the welt, upper, innersole and outsole together are carried out in the usual manner.

In another aspect the invention comprlses an innersole as a separate article of manufacture, said innersole, before attachment to the other parts of the shoe, being formed from material of uniform thickness with an imperforate margin offset with respect to the body of the innersole a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the innersole and parallel thereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of an innersole prepared in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view showing the use of a stapling machine for securing the upper to the innersole;

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the use of sewing mechanism for securing the upper and innersole-together;

the margin Fig. 4 is a detail in section and perspective showing the upper attached to the innersole by stitches;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the shoe upon a last during the operation of attaching the outsole and Welt; and

Fig. dis a perspective view of the completed shoe, parts being in section and broken away to show the construction.

In the practice of the method of the present invention an innersole is first prepared as shown in Fi 1 with a body portion 2 substantially o the size and shape of the bottom of a last to be used and with the marginal portion 4 offset from the body portion, the amount of ofiset as indicated at 6 being preferably at least as much'as the combined thickness of the upperand welt. The operation of offsetting the margin 4 of the sole may be effected b suitable molds or may he performs pro gressively by the-use of rolls. The innersole thus prepared is secured to the bottom of the last 8 with the body portion covering the last bottom and the offset margin spaced perpendicularl from the last bottom but substantially in a plane parallel to it. An upper 10, the toe and heel portions of which are preferably molded to substantially their final shape, is then placed over the last and is lasted and secured to the innersole either as shown in Fig. 2, by the use of a staple lasting machine such as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,291,754 anted January 21, 1921 on application of atthias Brock, or bya sewing machine as illustrated in Fig. 3. Various kinds of sewing mechanisms may be found suitable, or easily adapted, for this work, for example, a chain-stitch sewing machine such as a turn shoe machine may be employed, the chain of the stitch being preferably formed at 11 on the inner side of the offset 6 as shown in Fig. 4. If desired, the stapling machine may be employed to secure the upper to the innersole at a number of relatively widely spaced points about the periphery of the shoe, this operation corresponding to the usual pulling-over operation b which the upper is properly located on t e last and secured to the innersole under tension. The turn shoe machine or other sewing instrumentalities may then be employed as indicated in Fig. 3 to unite the upper and the oflset portion of the innersole about the periphery'of the shoe.- The fastenings in either case are preferably inserted through the offset 6, that is, through the portion connecting the body portion with the offset portion 4. In

Fig. 3 the channel guide of the sewing ma chine is indicated at 20 the curved awl at 22 and the curved needle at 24. A rest 26 is provided to engage the ofiset and support it during retraction of the needle, the

with the extension of the innersole beyond the edge of the lust, and that the upper may be lasted inwardly as is a usual practice.

After the upperhas been lasted-and secured to the innersole the tacks or other means holding the innersole to the last are removed and the cavity of the innersole inside the offset 6 is filled with a suitable filler 12, for example, felt or the usual cork composition. An outsole 14 is then laid over the filler and the margin 4 of the innersole to .which it may be secured by cement or otherwise. The shoe is now ready for the attachment of the outsole which operation may be performed in any known manner, for example, bv the use of an outsole stitching machine. uring this operation a welt 16 is preferably placed over the exposed surface of the outturned flange of the upper and sewed by a seam 18 to the up er, innersole and outsole, as indicated in h ig. 5.

Having described my invention, what I I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of makin stitchdown shoes which consists in pro vi ing an innersole of uniform thickness, shaping the innersole with an ofl'set spaced from its edge, lasting the upper against the offset on the outside and securing the upper by fastenings passing through the offset, and attaching an outsole to the margin of the in nersole and upper. I

2. .That improvement in methods of makin stitchdown shoes which consists in provi ing an inners'ole of uniform thickness, shaping the innersole with an ofl'set uniformly spaced from its edge, the margin being in a plane parallel to the body portion, lasting the upper against the ofiset on the outside, securing the upper by fastenings passing through the offset, filling the sole inside the its ius

offset portion, and attaching an outsole to the margin of the innersole and upper.

3. That improvement in methods of making stitchdown shoes which consists first in oifsetting the marginal portion of an innersole, then securing the upper to the inner- Cal ing stitchdown shoes which consists in forming an offset marginal portion on an inner sole, such that the margin is displaced from the plane of the last bottom a distance equalat least to the thickness of upper and welt, securing the upper to the innersole between the body of the sole and the offset margin, and then securing an outsole to the outer face of the margin and a welt to the flange of upper covering the margin.

5. That improvement in methods of makin stitchdown shoes which consists in provi ing a relatively thin innersole of uniform thickness, ofl'setting the marginal portion of the innersole, securing the upper to the innersole between the body of the sole and the offset margin, filling the recess in the outer face of the innersole formed by offsetting the margin, and then securing an outsole to the outer face of the margin and filler and welt to the flange of upper covering the margin.

6. That improvement in methods of making stitchdown shoes which consists in molding an innersole to position a surface of the marginal portion parallel to and substantially in the plane of the opposite face of the body ortion, placing the innersole upon a last with the marginal portion spaced outwardly from the plane of the last bottom, molding the toe and. heel portions of an upper, placing the molded upper upon the last, securing the upper .in outturned position to the innersole along the inner line of the margin, applying an outer sole and securing the upper, innersole and outersole together.

7 That improvement in methods of making stitchdown shoes which consists in molding an innersole to position a surface of the marginal portion substantially in the plane of the opposite face of the body portion, placing the innersole upon a last with the marginal portion spaced outwardly from the plane of the last bottom, placing an upper upon the last, lasting and securing the upper in outturned position to the innersole along the inner line of the margin, filling the innersole, placing a welt on the outturned margin and an outersole on the outer face of the filler and margin, and sewing the welt, upper, innersole and outersole together.

8. An article of manufacture consisting of an unattached innersole of uniform thickness and having a body portion and an imperforate marginal ortion extending outwardly from the b0 y portion parallel thereto and offset perpendicularly to the plane of the body portion a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the innersole.

- 9. A separate article of manufacture, consisting in an unattached innersole for stitchdown shoes, said innersole being of uniform thickness and having the marginal portion which is to extend beyond the last bottom imperforate and offset 'with respect to the portion which is to cover the last bottom, the amount of said ofi'set being substantially equal to the thickness of the innersole and said margin remaining parallel to the remainder of the innersole.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRED L. MACKENZIE. 

